A urinal is a receptacle used by men for urinating. Urinals are common fixtures in public washrooms. A urinal is typically made of ceramic or metal with a water rinse (commonly known as a flush) and a bottom drain. Urinals are either of the individual type or the trough type suitable for simultaneous use by several men. Individual urinals are either floor mounted or elevated a short distance off the floor. Trough urinals are generally elevated a short distance off the floor.
When a man uses a urinal, the stream of urine has a tendency to splash off the back wall and/or the bottom. The splashed urine can land on the floor and/or other surfaces around the urinal, and can even land on the user himself.
Urinals have been disclosed to contain the splash from reaching adjacent surfaces and/or user. These urinals attempt to control the splash by being lower, deeper, narrower, wider, or by including splash shields. For example, Baker, U.S. Pat. No. 1,114,670, Oct. 20, 1914, discloses a urinal with a vertical chamber in the back wall. Splash is contained in the Baker urinal only if the user directs his stream precisely into the chamber. Ohara, U.S. Pat. No. 1,379,206, May 24, 1921, discloses a urinal with a series of vertical rods along the back wall. The Ohara urinal is difficult to clean. Wilkins, U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,448, Jul. 2, 1991, discloses a urinal with offset and converging side walls to direct the splash inwardly. The Wilkins urinal is exceptionally deep.
Poole, U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,397, Oct. 26, 1993, discloses a urinal with side walls that converge to form a vertical trough. The Poole urinal is exceptionally deep. Peters, U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,563, Feb. 22, 1994, discloses a urinal with a receptor cavity, two deflectors, and two shields. The shields of the Peters urinal are prone to breakage and the urinal is expensive to manufacture. Neuo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,504, Oct. 29, 2002, discloses a urinal with concave converging side walls and a downwardly curved back wall. Urine directed against either the side walls or back wall is deflected inwardly and downwardly. The Neuo urinal is exceptionally deep.
As a group, these prior art urinals are difficult to clean and prohibitively expensive to manufacture and install. They are also significantly different in appearance than conventional urinals and, therefore, are undesirable because they lack familiarity. They are also different in size and shape from conventional urinals so they cannot easily be used as replacements. None of the prior art urinals attempts to address the splash problem by eliminating the splash.
Accordingly, there is a demand for a urinal that eliminates, rather than simply redirects, splash. There is also a demand for such a urinal that has the same general appearance as a conventional urinal. There is further a demand for such a urinal that is the same depth, is as sturdy, uses the same plumbing connections, and can be manufactured as cheaply as conventional urinals.